Emergency services were perplexed in the early hours of Sunday morning when they rushed to an overturned car crashed in Goodmayes, only to find it empty.

The driver, who had crashed into a bus stop near Goodmayes Lane around 6am, had apparently escaped from the upside down vehicle and left the scene.

A witness, who did not want to be identified, said: “I heard a big sound like a bomb and then a big splash.

“We saw a car with lights on upside down on the road next to the bus stop.”

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: “One car was in collision with a bus shelter but no one was trapped or injured.

“The driver had left the vehicle before we arrived.”

An Ilford firefighter said disappearing drivers are not uncommon.

Mark Mills, blue watch manager at Ilford Fire Station, said: “Nowadays, car technology is so much better that people can roll their car three times and smash it up and step out uninjured.

“Their initial reaction is ‘oh my god’ and they leg it, it’s not uncommon.

“Even people who sustain head injuries stumble off.

“We normally search the area and the police conduct a wider search.”

Mr Mills urged drivers to be aware of visibility difficulties with low sunlight and exercise caution.

Redbridge Police could not tell the Recorder whether any arrests have been made.